Star batter Phoebe Litchfield is set to make her comeback from injury as Australia looks to secure a series win against New Zealand in the second T20I match at North Sydney Oval. Litchfield has overcome a minor hip muscle strain that sidelined her for the series’ opener and the final ODI against Bangladesh last week.
Tahlia McGrath makes way for Litchfield in the only change to the Australian line-up, which narrowly edged out New Zealand by two wickets in a tense first game. It marked a somewhat shaky reintroduction for Australia following their T20 World Cup triumph.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have retained the same team that put forth a gritty challenge in the first match, nearly causing an upset. Coming into the series without experienced players like Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, and Lea Tahuhu, the young New Zealand side was underestimated by many. Yet, opener Georgia Plimmer impressed with the bat, while Jess Kerr’s crucial bowling spells have bolstered their belief in levelling the series in game two.
Australia’s line-up for the match includes Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Kim Garth, and Lucy Hamilton.
New Zealand fields Georgia Plimmer, Flora Devonshire, Melie Kerr (c), Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Brooke Halliday, Jess Kerr, Polly Inglis (wk), Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, and Bree Illing.
Tune in to see if Litchfield’s return can inject the needed spark for Australia or if New Zealand will even the series.
